Longer Case Studies of Equalizers and other Third Siders in Action
A number of case studies have been developed to exhibit:
How the third side gets mobilized and becomes active; and
What the most significant barriers to the third side's emergence are, and
why these have proven so difficult to overcome.
These case
studies are excellent resources for teachers, study groups, or others interested
in the role of the equalizer (and other third-sider roles) in actual conflict situations.
The Albert Einstein Institution - The mission of the Albert Einstein Institution is to advance the worldwide study and strategic use of nonviolent action in conflict. The Institution is committed to defending democratic freedoms and institutions, opposing oppression, dictatorship, and genocide, and reducing reliance on violence as an instrument of policy.
US Equality Opportunity Commission - This governmental organization seeks to ensure that employers do not discriminate against people based on race, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, or disability.
Center for Democracy and Human Rights - This is a non profit organization that presses for improvements in the human rights environment not merely with megaphones but with behind-the-scenes diplomacy, so that governments and other political actors have adequate means to work within our global community.
The National Democratic Institute - This is a nonprofit organization working to strengthen and expand democracy worldwide. Calling on a global network of volunteer experts, NDI provides practical assistance to civic and political leaders advancing democratic values, practices and institutions.
Oneworld.net - This website is filled with international news concerning human rights and other global issues. You can find news by country and it can also be translated into other languages.
Agape Foundation Fund for Nonviolent Social Change - This is a non-profit public foundation founded in 1969 out of opposition to the war in Southeast Asia. Pacifists, World War II conscientious objectors and anti-Vietnam War activists founded it in order to build a movement that seriously challenged the Pentagon and the American culture of violence.
Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change - The King Center is the official, living memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leader of Americas greatest nonviolent movement for justice, equality and peace.
Group of 77 - As the largest Third World coalition in the United Nations, the Group of 77 provides the means for the developing world to articulate and promote its collective economic interests and enhance its joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues in the United Nations system, and promote economic and technical cooperation among developing countries.
M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence - The Mission of the Gandhi Institute is to promote and apply the principles of nonviolence locally, nationally, and globally, to prevent violence and resolve personal and public conflicts through research, education, and programming.
Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment - This organization promotes public participation in government and make government more responsive to local needs by creating, nurturing, and supporting a citywide system of grass-roots, independent, and participatory neighborhood councils.
Print Resources
Ackerman, P. and C. Kruegler (1993). Strategic Nonviolent Conflict: The Dynamics of People Power in the Twentieth Century. New York: Praeger. - This book employs case studies to describe instances of well-planned and implemented nonviolent action, used in opposition to violence. The authors discuss the riskiness and the potential benefits of nonviolent action.
King, M.L. Jr. (1958). Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story. New York: Harper & Brothers. This book presents Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s full account of the nonviolent resistance demonstrated during the Montgomery bus strike.
Laue, J. and G. Cormick (1978). "The Ethics of Intervention in Community Disputes." In ed. Bermant, G., H. Kelman and D. Warwick. The Ethics of Social Intervention. Washington, DC: Halsted Press, pp. 205-232.
Lijphart, Arend (1991). "The Power-Sharing Approach." In ed. Montville, Joseph V. Conflict and Peacemaking in Multiethnic Societies. New York: Lexington Books.
Gandhi, M. (1983). Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth. Dover Publishers. - In his classic autobiography, Gandhi recounts the story of his life and how he developed his concept of active nonviolent resistance, which propelled the Indian struggle for independence and countless other nonviolent struggles of the twentieth century.
Sharp, G. (1973). The Politics of Nonviolent Action, Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Boston: Porter Sargent. - Volume 1, Power and Struggle, examines the nature and sources of political power, and then explores the potential for nonviolent action to serve as an effective alternative to the use of violence in controlling political power. Volume 2, The Methods of Nonviolent Action, describes nearly two hundred specific methods of nonviolent action. Volume 3, The Dynamics of Nonviolent Action, explores the nature and processes of nonviolent action. The Dynamics of Nonviolent Action will be of interest to those who seek a better understanding of the mechanism and operation of nonviolent resistance.
Ury, William (2000). The Third Side: Why We Fight and How We Can Stop. New York: Penguin. This is the book that first described the concept of the "third side" and explained the equalizer role in that context.
Volkan, V. (1988). The Need to Have Enemies and Allies: From Clinical Practice to International Relationships. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson.
Other Resources from Beyond Intractability Taming Intractable Conflicts The trick for the mediator is identifying what conflicts it pays to become involved in, how to go about it, and when. Crocker et al. explore some limitations and pitfalls for mediators and go on to suggest how they may most effectively contribute at different stages of the conflict.
The Beyond Intractability Knowledge Base Project Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess, Co-Directors and Editors c/o Conflict Information Consortium(Formerly Conflict Research Consortium), University of Colorado Campus Box 580, Boulder, CO 80309 Phone: (303) 492-1635; Fax: (303) 492-2154; Contact
